“No Trump, no KKK, no racist USA!” Anyone between May Day Books and the Republican Headquarters on Saturday the 17th would have most likely heard coming from the streets.

Muslim Students Alliance, or MSA, a school club made last year took part in the march this year, and opened the opportunity to the student body. Senior Heba Sandozi is the secretary of MSA.

“This year is a pretty important year with the election coming up an all. There seems to be a rise in Islamophobia over the past year, which I talked about in my [senior] speech,” she said. We thought it was important to one: raise awareness in the SPA community by advertising it and also taking part in it ourselves and exercising our rights and putting forth the idea that its okay that we are here.”

Around ten SPA people showed up at the march, teachers, MSA members and other students who wanted to support. They held signs while marching along with many other supporters of the March.

“At one point there were about 250 marchers and people from all walks of life.” Sandozi said.

The march was supported by Minnesotans Against Islamophobia and the Anti-War Committee, and the protest was used to raise awareness on other relevant issues, such as Black Lives Matter and the Dakota Access Pipeline Project. While marching, people and cars walked and zoomed, most of them in support of the marchers.

“[The reactions were] mostly positive. There were honks of approval, people making peace signs as they were driving by or slowing down.” Sandozi said.

The perspective of the Native Americans and other tribes that were taken over by the Europeans shows how almost everything good that the Europeans were getting out of the Americas resulted in something bad for the natives that already lived there.It was like ‘Okay, so, one: I’m not the only one recognizing these problems and two: people are doing something to combat them, especially in our own community.